Which stateroom should we select?

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We've booked our first-ever cruise for January 2 on the Disney Dream. We've booked 2 connecting rooms for us and our 4 teenage children. (One with special needs.) There are 3 categories of staterooms that most appeal to us:

- It's the least expensive of the 3 categories.
- We have more floor space in the room itself since the 246 sq ft room looses space to the verandah.
- We are on Deck 9 with the 241 sq ft room whereas we drop to a lower deck if we moved up in category because of the increase in price.
- The extra large porthole looks really cool.
- We are a bit paranoid about our kids falling off the verandah, especially our special needs child.

We still have time to change the rooms and would greatly appreciate reading other people's opinions on our selection. It is worth paying the extra $400-$600 for 2 rooms with a verandah? Are there any advantages/disadvantages to being on a higher or lower deck? How safe are the verandahs for children?

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I've stayed in both of your first 2 options. You are correct the 241sqft room is larger than the 246sqft room because that 246 includes the verandah. The extra large porthole on the dream really is awesome, its large enough to lay in! Here's a picture of the room we were in (9010)

Out of view on the right is the 2 (split) bathroom doors and the entrance door behind the camera. The round protruding wall is the round shower which I prefer over the standard shower. Here's another shot closer to the port hole.

That cabinet looking thing folds down into a bed. In the verandah room, the room ends at the edge of the couch and that's where the verandah begins. Just to give you an idea.

I really enjoyed this room it's a very good size, especially 2 of them (it sleeps up to 5).
As I said we also stayed in a Dlx Oceanview w/ Ver. and we took a 4 and 5 year old. I was initially concerned with them falling over but it would be pretty hard for them to do. The door has multiple locks including one near the ceiling so only adults could reach (although maybe a teen could...) The railing has a glass panel beneath it so nobodies going out beneath it and it was high enough to keep kids away. They would have to climb the chair and intentionally scale the railing to make it over.
I can't speak to your kids though, you know them and their needs and tendencies more than anyone obviously. I can say that you won't be spending much time in your state room, especially on a Dream cruise which are typically shorter. So the luxury of having a private balcony won't be as important, and there are plenty of places you can enjoy a balcony view, including the Spa (book a day in the rainforest room at least!) and the porthole is HUGE and offers an amazing view, just no fresh air.

In my opinion, save the money for some fun onboard stuff or shore excursions, and keep your peace of mind. After the first cruise you'll be able to judge better if a verandah is right for you.

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I have been in a Verandah room on all 3 Disney cruises. I never had problems with my kids (6 and 9 when we first cruised) on a verandah, but as was said, you know your kids best.

We did like sitting on the verandah and watching the water, or just being about to go out there in the morning right after waking up. However, it was not that great a thrill that I thought it was worth the extra money. When I booked our 3rd cruise I opted for a Oceanview stateroom. But then we got upgraded to a verandah, so what are you going to do

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Sorry for the thread bump but we recently rebooked our first ever Disney cruise (on the Dream) and wonder if people could let us know what are the advantages/disadvantages of bow/middle/stern rooms & high/low deck rooms.
Thanks!

We just returned from a week on The Fantasy, and stayed on Deck 9 mid-ship. We were very pleased with that location, only two flights of stairs up to Cabanas and pool area. Mid-ship puts you in a great spot to get to either forward or aft locations without much hassle, plus you get no engine noise or shake. I did notice that aft locations suffered from engine shake when leaving ports, and I have read elsewhere that rooms on deck 10, under the cabanas area, suffer from noise created when tables and chairs are being dragged around above.

As an aside, I really enjoyed having a verandah room. If you are concerned about the kids and the verandah, there is a nice child lock feature that would prevent them from getting out there without your supervision.

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I'll start by saying, we have never had a location we just hated. The most inconvenient we've had would probably be on Deck 2, but even then I wouldn't say they were inconvenient! They were super convenient to the lobby, restaurants, etc. The upper decks are convenient to the pools, drink stations, etc.

Aft will give you a little more vibration in some rooms, but nothing too bad for most people. I've got an aft room booked on the Fantasy at Thanksgiving of 2013 and I'm not worried about the vibration at all.

I usually avoid rooms right above or below night clubs and the theater. I also avoid the deck right below the pools. Some rooms are fine, others have noise of chairs being moved and kids running above during the daytime.

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As you can see, restaurants are on decks 2 and 3, aft. The Theater is on 3 and 4, forward.
Deck 5, between mid and aft, are the kid clubs. Aside from a few rooms on deck 2, deck 5 is the lowest deck with staterooms.
There are elevators in all 3, forward, mid, and aft. Though the midship elevators cover more decks than the others, and are therefor more busy.
Decks 6 - 10 are purely 'residential', and things pick up again at 11, where you'll find the pools, spa/fitness, and Cabanas (buffet) A lot of time will be spent here.
12 has the fancy restaurants and mostly is the upper deck of the pool area with more sun lounging spots and the Aquaduck, etc.
13 has the sports deck and private (concierge) deck, and 14 has outlook (a lounge)

I tell you all of this because what it really comes down to is convenience. Where are you planning on heading to the most? Lots of trips back and forth to the kids clubs? Maybe stay on a lower deck. Most days at the pool? Try a higher deck, maybe 9 or 10. Want easy access to the elevators - go midship. Want some more privacy? Try aft or forward, as there are less crowds taking those elevators.

I've heard people say they feel the ship rock more in the aft. I've heard the same about forward. Some people claim the higher decks sway more, some claim they are more stable. It's different for everybody is my point, and to be fair, there's not a bad spot in the house.
You will get a better view from the higher decks, obviously. And you're closer to the pools. But your farther from the kids clubs, the theater and movie theater, and restaurants, and shopping.
It's such a beautiful ship though, you really, REALLY, won't mind traversing all over and taking it all in. In fact, because I stay up later than everyone else in my party, I like to just aimlessly wander the ship at night taking in all the details.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself for your room location - you're going to have a great time either way. Have fun!

EDIT - And while I was typing this up Tammy (of course!) made a point I forgot about. The drink stations are located on Deck 11 near the pools/Cabanas. A bit more aft than midship.
But like she said, there's not really anywhere that's inconvenient.

Well-Known Member

They are right above the nightclubs - we had to call because of noise levels numerous times.

Also, you cannot get to them from boths sides of the ship. On every other deck there is a passageway going down both the port and the starboard sides. On deck 5 the kids clubs go all the way over to the starboard side of the ship. That means there is only a passageway on the port side. It is really not THAT big a deal, but it was a bit annoying to be on the starboard side, have to cross over to port, and then back to starboard to get back to our noisy room.

New Member

I've stayed in both of your first 2 options. You are correct the 241sqft room is larger than the 246sqft room because that 246 includes the verandah. The extra large porthole on the dream really is awesome, its large enough to lay in! Here's a picture of the room we were in (9010)

Out of view on the right is the 2 (split) bathroom doors and the entrance door behind the camera. The round protruding wall is the round shower which I prefer over the standard shower. Here's another shot closer to the port hole.

That cabinet looking thing folds down into a bed. In the verandah room, the room ends at the edge of the couch and that's where the verandah begins. Just to give you an idea.

I really enjoyed this room it's a very good size, especially 2 of them (it sleeps up to 5).
As I said we also stayed in a Dlx Oceanview w/ Ver. and we took a 4 and 5 year old. I was initially concerned with them falling over but it would be pretty hard for them to do. The door has multiple locks including one near the ceiling so only adults could reach (although maybe a teen could...) The railing has a glass panel beneath it so nobodies going out beneath it and it was high enough to keep kids away. They would have to climb the chair and intentionally scale the railing to make it over.
I can't speak to your kids though, you know them and their needs and tendencies more than anyone obviously. I can say that you won't be spending much time in your state room, especially on a Dream cruise which are typically shorter. So the luxury of having a private balcony won't be as important, and there are plenty of places you can enjoy a balcony view, including the Spa (book a day in the rainforest room at least!) and the porthole is HUGE and offers an amazing view, just no fresh air.

In my opinion, save the money for some fun onboard stuff or shore excursions, and keep your peace of mind. After the first cruise you'll be able to judge better if a verandah is right for you.

jme, I was looking to book room 9010 on the Fantasy and Disney told me that room slept 4 and had an upper berth and no murphy bed. This appears to be contradictory to what you posted, so I just wanted to double check that you were in 9010 on the Fantasy and the room number wasn't a typo? Also did you have a murphy bed only or a murphy bed and upper berth? Thanks.

Well-Known Member

jme, I was looking to book room 9010 on the Fantasy and Disney told me that room slept 4 and had an upper berth and no murphy bed. This appears to be contradictory to what you posted, so I just wanted to double check that you were in 9010 on the Fantasy and the room number wasn't a typo? Also did you have a murphy bed only or a murphy bed and upper berth? Thanks.